Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 100 New official takes office
"Goo~~~"

The sharp and loud crowing of cocks tore through the darkness and dawn arrived.

Liu Taozi changed into his brand new official uniform, which was still black.

In the Former Wei Dynasty, the imperial court set a five-color official uniform and required it to be worn uniformly according to rank. But in the Great Qi Dynasty, "all clothes were black on top and purple on the bottom", with no clear distinction.

But this set of official uniform is completely different from the previous set of patrol uniform. The patrol uniform is a short coat, including the lower skirt, which is also tight and short, covering the top of the trousers. The cuffs are tight and need to be fastened with laces. The crown is a military cap, which has a stronger military officer atmosphere and nomadic flavor.

The official uniform now is a wide-sleeved shirt with crotch pleats and a waist divided into two layers. The outer coat is shaped like a cloak, and the inner short coat is exquisitely woven and embroidered with all kinds of ferocious beasts. Thin sleeves are worn inside the wide sleeves, and a red and white cage crown is worn. Just looking at the outer coat, he looks like a madman from the Wei and Jin Dynasties, but if you look at the lining, he has a bit of nomadic roughness. The sword at the waist has also been replaced with a long sword, which is really majestic and completely different from the past.

Yao Xiong and others had been waiting at the door for a long time. When they saw Liu Taozi striding out, they were stunned.

They had seen such clothes before, as Lu Qubing often wore them.

But when Liu Taozi put on this attire, he looked completely different. He was tall and had a majestic appearance, and with this outfit, he didn't look like a ninth-rank county magistrate, but more like a first-rank general or secretary.

Yao Xiong quickly said, "Brother is so powerful!"

Tian Zili was in no mood to listen to this guy's flattery. He quickly pulled someone to Liu Taozi's side and said with a smile, "Brother, Li Lushi Shi Tianzeng has been waiting here since dawn. He said he would take us to see the county magistrate and then summon the officials."

The Liyang recorder was called Li Jun. He was the one who led the way to welcome Liu Taozi yesterday.

This man was about thirty years old, with an ordinary appearance, twinkling eyes and a smile on his face. He was a typical Daqi county official.

He hurriedly flattered: "Mr. Liu is so majestic and handsome! When I see him, it's like seeing a god."

Tian Zili interrupted him with a smile, "My county magistrate doesn't like to hear flattery!"

"That's not flattery, it's what I really think."

Li Jun was talking to Tian Zili. Apparently, after this night, Tian Zili had already had some interactions with several officials in the county. They couldn't be called close friends, but they had a certain understanding of each other.

Li Jun hurriedly asked someone to clear the way, and followed Liu Taozi with a nod and a bow, leading the way for him.

"Mr. Liu, you will see the county magistrate later, but you must be careful with your words."

"The county magistrate has a strange and eccentric personality. When we go to see him, we are always very careful and dare not offend him in the slightest. If we offend him, he will beat us severely."

Li Jun subconsciously touched his face and looked at everyone, "Everyone, be careful in the backyard in the future and don't offend this person."

Hearing these words, Yao Xiong immediately sneered.

Another fucking shit official.

Kou Liu was also filled with righteous indignation and looked grim.

Tian Zili narrowed his eyes and just chuckled.

Li Jun led a few people and walked for more than a hundred steps, and then they came to a house. The house looked extremely shabby, which perfectly matched the style of the entire county government.

The walls of the house were damaged and weeds even grew at the entrance.

An old soldier stood at the door, dozing off with his spear in his arms.

Li Jun was furious when he saw this. He hurried forward and pushed the old soldier awake. "I told you last night that the county magistrate was coming. How dare you neglect him, old man?!"

The old soldier looked at the other party with horror in his eyes and knelt on the ground to apologize repeatedly.

A fierce look appeared on Li Jun's face, but it disappeared immediately. He returned to Liu Taozi with a smile and said, "Mr. Liu, I failed to discipline you well. Please don't blame me."

He pointed to the dilapidated house in front of him and said, "The county magistrate lives here. He has a strange temper. Alas, the county magistrate has to go in himself."

Liu Taozi asked everyone to stay here, and she pushed open the gate. Her voice was so rude that Li Jun couldn't help but tremble.

Liu Taozi walked into the yard, but found that it was also extremely desolate, with weeds growing everywhere and sundries piled up everywhere. If Li Jun hadn't said it, no one would have thought that this was the county magistrate's residence, but only a warehouse for storing sundries.

Liu Taozi walked to the house opposite and knocked on the door.

"Who?"

One person asked.

"Xian Cheng."

The door was slowly pushed open, and a man in ordinary clothes and with a sloppy look opened the door.

The man looked to be no more than thirty years old, but he had a messy beard, a pale face, and a somewhat strange expression.

The man looked Liu Taozi up and down, with a wary look in his eyes, "Are you the new county magistrate?"

"Yes."

"But you are a scholar who took the exam?"

"No."

"Oh!"

The man closed the door without hesitation with such force that the dust was kicked up and the door almost hit Liu Taozi in the face. Liu Taozi did not move at all. She stood for a moment, then turned around and walked out.

Li Jun saw him coming out and hurried forward, "Mr. Liu, did the county magistrate embarrass you?"

"No."

"That's fine, that's fine."

Li Jun sighed helplessly, "Alas, Mr. Liu, follow me to the lobby to summon the officials."

The lobby of Liyang County looked a bit shabby. There were several bright wooden pillars with several gaps. The floor looked a bit dirty and could not be cleaned.

Yao Xiong and others were no longer surprised. Since the county magistrate was away, Liu Taozi took the seat.

Li Jun and others were sitting below, lazily and sloppily. There were about a dozen of them in total.

Tian Zili frowned, already displeased.

"Mr. Li, the new chancellor is here, and all the officials should be gathered together even if there are many things to do. Are these twelve or thirteen people looking down on our master?"

Li Jun quickly stood up and said to Liu Taozi, "Mr. Liu, I would never dare to look down on you."

"In our county government, even if we include the miscellaneous officials, there are only seventeen people."

"what?!"

Tian Zili stood up suddenly and said, "Liyang County should have 53 official officials and 12 casual officials!"

"what do you mean?"

Li Jun's face turned pale and he was trembling all over. "I would never dare to lie to you. There is really no one left in the county government office."

"say clearly!!"

Tian Zili looked at Yao Xiong, who quickly stood up and put his hand on the hilt of the knife at his waist. Li Jun immediately knelt on the ground, "Mr. Liu! Mr. Tian! Spare my life!"

"Two years ago, there were as many people in the city as Mr. Arita mentioned. But in the past two years, the harvest was poor, the food was insufficient, the county treasury was empty, and we couldn't even pay the tribute. Not to mention the salaries of the officials. Without food to live on, the officials either starved to death or fled. We had to arrest people from the prison to serve as the officials, and they had to be shackled on weekdays to prevent them from escaping."

Li Jun cried and told about the situation in the county, and Yao Xiong and others stared with wide eyes.

This county official could starve to death? ? He had to work in chains? ?

What the fuck is this place??
Tian Zili frowned, "Liyang is a well-known grain-producing county with fertile land. There have been no natural disasters in the past two years. How could there be such a shortage of food?"

Li Jun's lips trembled a few times, "I don't know. Even the county magistrate doesn't know."

He slowly closed his eyes and lowered his head, but refused to speak again.

Liu Taozi looked at those scattered officials. As expected, they were all skinny, with sunken cheeks and dull eyes. The other officials also did not look very good.

Yao Xiong and others suddenly understood why the Liyang County Government Office looked so dilapidated. It turned out to be because of poverty.

Liu Taozi didn't waste any more time and turned around and left, and everyone hurriedly followed.

After Taozi and others left, Li Jun got up and asked someone to take those scattered officials back. At this moment, there were only four people left by his side.

"how?"

"It's hard to tell if you don't show your emotions on your face."

"I don't think he is Han Chinese, he should be a Xiongnu Qiehu. Look at the one with green eyes, he is definitely a Qiehu. And the one with a strange beard is definitely a Xianbei!"

"I've seen Xianbei knights on patrol, they had beards and hair like his, they were extremely ugly."

"Yes, and there's also that scary-looking guy! He's called a doctor, but I think he's a Xianbei witch doctor! Only the Hu people carry witch doctors with them!"

"I think we should talk to Lord Zhao and have him come forward directly. Most of these barbarians have strange personalities. If they say something offensive, they might massacre the county government!"

Li Jun gritted his teeth and pondered for a moment, "Okay, I'll go and pay my respects to Lord Zhao."

Liu Taozi and others returned to their residence.

Everyone sat down on his left and right. "Zili, tell me the situation."

Tian Zili stood up in a hurry. "The magistrate of Liyang County is named Shi Yao, with the courtesy name Bai Yao. He is from Anxi. It is said that he started his career as an official by studying Confucian classics and taking exams."

"His reputation in the county government is very bad. It is said that this person has been staying in a shabby courtyard for a long time, refusing to go out, sleeping in the courtyard all day, and not paying attention to the government affairs of the county government at all. He has not even arranged a chief clerk."

"In addition, Li Jun and others also said that this person has a perverse personality, likes to beat subordinates, is moody, and can't get close to others. Well, although they didn't say it explicitly, they all implied that the shortage of grain in the county treasury was due to this county magistrate. He didn't care about farming, and often sent his confidants to seal the grain depot, not allowing others to check and collect, and privately determined the amount."

Before Tian Zili finished speaking, Yao Xiong could not help but say, "What a bad official! He even starved the county clerk to death. How miserable must the people in this city be."

Tian Zili ignored him and looked up at Liu Taozi.

"Brother, is there something wrong?"

Liu Taozi nodded.

Yao Xiong looked confused, "What's wrong?"

Tian Zili glanced at him and then said, "If it were you, you were in Cheng'an, and the county magistrate Lu was replaced by a new one, and you had never met him, would you dare to say bad things about Lu Yao to his confidants?"

Yao Xiong put himself in the shoes of the other party and shook his head. "I dare not. Officials are close to each other. What is a clerk? He may be sold out any day."

"Why would someone as smart as Li Jun do something that even a fool like you wouldn't do?"

Yao Xiong frowned and did not answer.

Kou Liu pondered for a moment and asked tentatively: "Are they the bad guys? Is the county magistrate a good guy?"

Tian Zili curled his lips, no longer holding out any hope for these two. He looked at Liu Taozi, "Brother, we just arrived in Liyang, and we don't know much about the situation up and down, so we can't rush to make a judgment."

"It would be best if we could walk around and take a look at the situation inside and outside Liyang. Once we understand the situation, we can distinguish between the enemy and ourselves."

Liu Taozi nodded and began to make arrangements immediately.

"Zili, you should continue to walk around the county government office and have more contact and conversation with these people."

"Xiong, you should go to the county military training ground immediately and get to know the soldiers and cavalry officers there."

"Liu, go back to your room and sleep."

"Both are fine. Look around for a suitable mansion. I'll open a clinic for you. When you have nothing to do in the future, you can sit in the clinic and see patients."

Everyone had a task and left.

Of course Liu Taozi was not idle either. He called two good fighters, rode on big horses, and walked out of the county government gate swayingly.

The blue lion took big strides, its hooves making crisp sounds, while Liu Taozi looked around with a sharp gaze, just like when he was a patrol officer.

Most of the buildings in Liyang are short and dilapidated, and so are the roads, but looking around, you can see living people, unlike Cheng'an which was a ghost town in the past.

Occasionally, pedestrians passed by and saw the official riding a big horse and hurriedly avoided him.

At every intersection, there are more than ten people looking around eagerly. Most of these people are elderly people with white hair and cloudy eyes.

Seeing someone riding a horse, these people were not afraid, but crawled forward, "Sir! Take me in! I can do anything! I don't eat much!"

"I can forge iron!!"

"Sir, I only need one meal a day."

These people were dressed in rags, and rows of ribs could be seen in their torn clothes. The knights brought by Liu Taozi hurried forward to stop them. These people were so scared that they retreated one after another. Liu Taozi looked at the knights on the side and said, "Give me some money."

The knight was stunned, then nodded.

Liu Taozi continued walking forward. He saw homeless people everywhere in Liyang. They were squatting at various intersections, lying on the roadside, or squatting in front of restaurants.

Some are disabled people, some are elderly, and there are a few sick children.

But if you go further and arrive at the south of Liyang City, the situation becomes a little different.

The roads here are quite flat and the buildings are starting to get taller. Obviously, like the east side of Cheng'an City, the south side of Liyang City is also the residence of wealthy families.

There are hardly any beggars along the road. In the middle, you can see a tall pagoda, which is the tallest building in the city.

The further you go in, the more monks you see. These monks are holding sticks and swords. They are not afraid of the officials at all. They just keep their heads down and walk on their own way. They have beards and look strong and fierce, not at all kind.

Liu Taozi passed by them, and these people didn't even look at Taozi.

They continued to move forward, and after walking for a long time, Liu Taozi finally stopped.

When we walked to the southernmost part, which is in front of the pagoda, we saw an exquisite courtyard wall. The wall was magnificent and the tiles used were unusual. It felt a bit like the county magistrate's mansion.

The courtyard wall has not been completed yet. We can see more than a thousand people, all young and strong, with bare upper bodies, carrying bricks and tiles, mixing mud and smearing them. It is a huge procession, even more lively than corvée labor.

Liu Taozi and others were stopped by a group of people just as they approached.

These people were all dressed in black, had short hair, and were holding swords, sticks, and were tall and strong. They stood in front of Liu Taozi and others. A blue-eyed Hu monk looked at Liu Taozi in front of him.

"Buddhism is a pure land, outsiders should not approach."

The knight was furious, "How dare you be rude to the county magistrate?!"

Hearing this, the monk was not afraid at all. He looked up and said, "So what if he is the county magistrate? This is a pure Buddhist place. No one can approach unless invited by the abbot."

The knights slowly drew their swords and looked at Liu Taozi. As long as Taozi gave the order, they would chop off the head in front of them.

At this moment, Liu Taozi looked up and looked at the tall pagoda in the distance. He didn't even glance at the foreign monk in front of him.

"I say you"

The Hu monk was angry. He took a step forward and just opened his mouth when Liu Taozi slowly lowered his head and looked at him.

At this moment, the Hu monk felt horrified, as if he had encountered some great terror. His whole body was stiff and he couldn't move.

"Mr. Liu!!"

"Mr. Liu!!!"

Suddenly, a man ran out from behind. Liu Taozi had seen that man before. He was an official in the county government.

The man walked quickly to Liu Taozi's side with a smile on his face.

"Mr. Liu, the county magistrate Zhao is waiting for you. I have been to many places but cannot find you. Please come back with me quickly."

After he finished speaking, he suddenly looked at the monk Hu, "Don't you know that this is the county magistrate? All of you retreat!!"

Those strong monks actually lowered their heads and took a few steps back, no longer showing their aggressive attitude.

"Mr. Liu, the Prime Minister Zhao is waiting for you in his mansion. Shall I take you there now?"

Inside the Zhao Mansion.

Li Jun was standing next to a tall man with his head down.

The man held an arrow in his hand, looked at the pitching pot opposite him, and threw it gently, but the arrow missed.

The man hurried forward to pick up the arrow, and Li Jun followed him and ran back and forth.

The men were having a great time, but Li Jun was running while talking and was extremely tired.

Finally, the man stopped and looked at Li Jun who was panting beside him. "So, this guy is from the military?"

"Anyway, he is definitely not a vagrant. Whose vagrant can ride such a big horse? The warhorse under his crotch is definitely a treasure from outside the Great Wall. And there are so many Xianbei warriors around him. How can a vagrant have such a thing?"

The man raised the arrow again, "But I heard that he was a scholar who took the exam."

"Scholar???"

"It's not like that."

Li Jun shook his head. The man smiled and pointed the arrow at Li Jun. "So, you are afraid of him? You want me to come in person?"

Li Jun looked at the arrow flashing with cold light and swallowed. "Lord Zhao, I just thought that such a person could be your helper. If we, the little people, said something wrong, wouldn't it ruin your plan?"

Hearing this, Prime Minister Zhao finally burst into laughter.

He redirected the arrow again, "Okay, what you said makes sense. I'll wait for him here."

"Go, go, keep an eye on Shi, and don't let him make any more moves."

"only!!!"

The man threw arrows.

Right in the middle of the pot.

(End of this chapter)